The star of this salmon dish is the Lemon Basil Butter. Adding a few ingredients to butter creates massive flavor, known as a compound butter. Here, this gorgeous salmon is adorned with lemon and basil, best friends with salmon. The seasoned butter would also be delicious added to grilled steaks or chicken.
Lemon Basil Butter
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 lemon, zested and squeezed for juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
Pan-Seared Salmon
6 salmon filets, skin on, cut into 6 ounce portion size
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
Serves 6
Place a large cast iron pan over medium- high heat. Pre-heat the pan for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the cut salmon. Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the salmon. Carefully, place each piece flesh side down into the hot pan. Don’t move or flip the salmon for at about 6-7 minutes to create a deep browning on this side. You will see the salmon changing color from the pan side moving up.
When nicely seared, a spatula should easily slip under the salmon so that it can now be flipped onto the skin side. Cook skin side for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Flip the salmon over to skin side up. Using tongs, remove the skin by pulling back at one corner, and pulling across the full piece of salmon. It should remove easily. Discard the skin. Flip the salmon over so that the flesh side is now up. Turn off the heat. Allow the salmon to rest in the pan for 2 minutes. Remove salmon from the pan onto your serving plate. Add a large dollop of the prepared butter to the top of each piece of salmon.
Featured Market Ingredients
Carfagna’s Olive Oil
Fresh Salmon Filets
Fresh Basil
Whole Lemons
Unsalted Butter